The present invention relates to a device for generating a mesh pattern for analysis and in particular, to a technique for automatically generating six-plane body mesh data satisfying a required quality from CAD (Computer Aided Design) data.
The analysis using the finite element method divides an analysis object into small mesh elements each having a predetermined shape and acquires a change of a physical amount generated in each element of the mesh pattern. The method is widely used in structure analysis, thermal conduction analysis, fluid analysis, and the like. For example, it is known that as a mesh pattern for analysis, quadrangular meshes are generated on a surface of a shape model of the analysis object generated by the CAD and the internal portion is divided according to the quadrangular meshes so as to generate six-plane body (a cube or a rectangular parallelepiped) meshes for analysis.
Moreover, as is disclosed in JP-A-9-311951, when an element in the mesh is deformed during analysis, the surface of the analysis object including the deformation is extracted and a new mesh is regenerated for the entire shape model having the extracted surface and the analysis calculation is continued. Another method suggested is performed manually by an analysis staff. That is, the analysis staff shifts the node point of the mesh which has caused deformation and re-divides the elements in the necessary portion so as to repeat a mesh pattern local shape operation and re-generates the mesh pattern.
However, in the conventional technique including the invention disclosed in JP-A-9-311951, no consideration is taken on extraction of a deformed mesh not satisfying a required quality during generation of a six-plane body mesh pattern or its reproduction so as to automatically correct the mesh. For example, each time a deformed mesh is generated, correction should be made by shifting a mesh node point by using a set of sequential manual procedures. This requires a complicated operation.